


Secret

by Leky88



Category: NCIS
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Family Secrets, Hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-01
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25650697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leky88/pseuds/Leky88
Summary: My first story from the world of NCIS. This is my first English short story so I apologize for the mistakes. English is not my native language.
Relationships: Ellie Bishop & Nick Torres, Ellie Bishop/Nick Torres
Comments: 25
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My first story from the world of NCIS. This is my first English short story so I apologize for the mistakes. English is not my native language.

It was a day like any other. The team had no case to work on, therefore two agents, Ellie Bishop and Tim McGee, did the paperwork. Gibbs and Torres were gone at the moment.

If someone paid enough attention, they could hear the sound of elevator arriving, but no one did hear it.

"Hello, I'm looking for agents Gibbs and Torres," said a woman who got out of the elevator and suddenly appeared at agent Ellie Bishop's desk.  
"Unfortunately, they're not here, but we could help you," Ellie offered.  
,,Well, I'd rather wait, I need to talk to them personally, it's important," the woman replied.

Ellie distrustfully looked at her, but said nothing. It was by that moment, when Ellie finally took a good look at her. The woman had tanned skin, long black hair and she was wearing a military uniform.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Lieutenant Isabel Martinez,“ the woman stated her name and her rank.  
"And why do you need Gibbs and Torres?" McGee asked.  
"It's personal and urgent. Do you happen to know, when they are about to return?" the Lieutenant asked.  
"Hopefully they will be here any time soon," McGee replied.  
"Well, thank you ... could I wait here?" Martinez asked.  
"Of course, come with me," McGee said, leading her to a room, where she could wait for those two.

Less than an hour passed, when Gibbs and Torres returned. As soon as McGee informed them that someone was waiting for them, both agenets immediately went to meet the woman.

"We‘ve been said you wanted to talk to us," Gibbs asked first.  
"Agent Gibbs, nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you," Isabel said.  
"Don't trust everything you hear. What do you need from us, Lieutenant?" Gibbs asked.  
"I need you to help me to find my brother. He got lost somewhere in Afghanistan. All I have from him is a message to contact the two of you. I‘ve always got letters from him, it was mostly about what he did or where he went. But this time no letter came, just this message," Isabel told them.  
"Okay, so what do you have?" Gibbs asked.

Then she played a message that her missing brother sent her:

Hi little sis, if you get this message, something must have happened to me. If so, please contact agents Nick Torres and Jethro Gibbs. They are the only ones who can help you. Isi, please don't get involved. Leave it to them to find me. Don't forget that I love you. And Isi, you need to go to my apartment - in my bedroom you will find a letter from our father. Please give the letter to whom it is addresed to. I love you so much.

"What's your brother's name?" Nick asked.  
"Oliver Martinez," Isabel replied.  
"I don't know him. Do you, Gibbs?" Nick turned to his colleague.  
"No, the name doesn't mean anything to me. Who did you hear about us from?" Gibbs asked Isabel.  
"From various people actually. You have helped a lot of people, obviously," she replied. "And my brother knew you," she added.

"To be honest, I really haven’t heard of your brother before," Nick replied.  
"But he does know you. I really have no idea where he came across you. I just have the message saying that I'm supposed to contact you. I really need to find him. I need to know that my brother is alive. Or what happened to him," Isabel said insistently.  
"Well, we'll try to do something about it, but now we'd like you to take a rest. We'll let you know, how it turned out, okay?" Gibbs suggested  
"All right, sir... gentlemen, thank you very much. You don't even know what this means to me," she replied and went home.

Gibbs and Torres returned to the office, back to Ellie and McGee.

"I want to know everything about the Lieutenant and her brother," Gibbs ordered

The agents got busy to find out everything about the Martinez siblings and why did one of them mysteriously disappear.

Soon Gibbs returned from Vance‘s office and told Torres that the rescue mission for Oliver Martinez had been approved.

"So, what do we know about the Martinez siblings?" Gibbs asked.  
"Lieutenant Isabel Martinez is 30 years old. Her brother Oliver Martinez, also ranked as Lieutenant, is 33 years old. They were born in Orlando, Florida. Together they completed training in Pensacola. Both of them are Mariners. At the base they were called miracle twins. Then Isabel‘s brother wanted to join SEAL, but he didn't succeed," McGee replied.  
"Well, why is Oliver in Afghanistan?" Gibbs asked.  
"According to his Commander, Oliver applied for this mission by himself. He didn't state a reason, he just wanted to go there. He had never served there before. His missions were mostly in Iraq and Syria, but never in Afghanistan," Ellie replied.  
"We need to know more about him. Torres, I want you and Bishop to bring his sister back," Gibbs ordered.  
"Sure, boss," they both replied.

* * *

As asked, Ellie and Nick went to see Lieutenant Martinez.

"What do you think about it, Nick?" Ellie asked, as the first few moments of their drive were all quiet.  
"I don't know, Ellie... I just don't know. It'll probably be a strange case, but I'd like to help the Lieutenant at the same time," he answered.  
"There’s something strange about her. Don't get me wrong, but to me it seems like she’s up to something."  
"What do you mean?" Nick tried to follow her thoughts.  
"I don't know, how to explain it, but I feel like she's involved in something."  
"You think? To me she just appeared like she was only worried about her brother.“  
„Well, if you think so… I just don't like her."  
,,Are you jealous of her or something?“ Nick asked, turning to Ellie, as they stopped at the red light.  
"And why should I be jealous?" Ellie snapped at him, her lips grinning.  
"Hmm, I guess I'd have an idea, but ... well, let it be," he smiled at her and pulled off, when the green light came on.

After another half an hour of quiet driving, they arrived to the apartment, where Lieutenant Isabel Martinez was supposed to live.

After knocking on the door, Nick and Ellie waited for Lieutenant Martinez to open. When Isabel appeared in a doorway, she was very surprised to see them at her place.

"Agent Torres, what are you doing here? What's going on?" she asked.  
"We need you to come with us and tell us more about your brother. There are few things Gibbs needs to know," Nick told her.  
"Okay, I'll go then. Does it mean that we'll looking for Oliver in the end?" Isabel asked.  
"We'll tell you everything at NCIS, there are more things you need to know. Gibbs wants to tell you everything in person," Nick answered.

Back in NCIS

"Lieutenant Martinez, welcome back. Our Director Vance, as well as your brother‘s Commander and the Minister have authorized the rescue mission. But only on one condition – that Torres and I will help you," Gibbs told Isabel, when she arrived to NCIS.  
"Please let me go with you,“ pleaded Isabel immediately. „I've been on several missions and I know their language. Please, I want to find my brother. I can't just sit here and do nothing but wait. Ollie is my only family. I've already lost a lot of people, I can't lose him too, "she looked at them desperately with noticeable tears in her eyes.  
"Why did he go to Afganistan?“ Gibbs asked.  
"Well, before Ollie left, he had told me that during the last mission he had met some local man, who had helped Ollie with something. And then Ollie got a message saying that this man needed Ollie‘s help in return. My brother never told me anything about it. He never even talked about it with his colleagues. But something happened there and it changed him. He signed up for the last mission and told me he had to help that man."

Isabel briefly paused.

"His letters seemed always fine to me, except for the last one. And then nothing. It's been three weeks since he sent it. Honestly, I don't know why it took so long and what happened to him during that time," she explained.  
"Okay, I think you could go there with us, since you have the experience," Gibbs decided after all.

There were noticeable relief and gratitude on Isabel‘s face. "So when do we go?" she asked.

"The plane should be ready tomorrow. The three of us will fly and contact your brother's Commander to find out what happened," Gibbs answered  
,,I don't know, how to thank you for all of this. I really appreciate it that you are doing this for me. I don't know if I will ever be able to get even with you, "she hugged Gibbs and Torres as neither of them expected it.

"You asked us for help ... so we're helping. Everyone would do it, it's our job anyway," Gibbs replied.  
"I guess so, but I don't think everyone would ever do it so fast. Thank you very much.“  
"Lieutenant, you should go to get yourself ready. We're leaving tomorrow early in the morning," Gibbs suggested and then he turned to his colleague. "Torres, take her back home. I also want you to pick her up tomorrow morning and bring her to the airport."  
"Yes, boss. Lieutenant, after you," Torres smiled at Isabel, leading her to his car so he could take her home.

* * *

Later that day, when most of the people already left the office, Ellie and Nick were the only ones who still remained. Nick was also about to call it a day and go home to get ready for the next day, when Ellie suddenly approached his desk.

"Hey B, what's going on?" he asked her as he noticed she was frowning.  
"I don't like it," were the only words she said.  
"What is it, Ell? What's going on?" he repeated his question, stepping closer to her and looking into her eyes.  
"I don't like this situation at all. I don’t like how you and Gibbs are getting yourself in danger because of a single message from someone you've never seen before."  
"Don't worry about it. We're going to help that woman, we'll find out what happened to Oliver. There will be no danger. I promise, Ellie," Nick tried to reassure her.

But unfortunately it didn't help very much, because Ellie still looked worried.

"You can never promise me that in that country. That country is an unsafe place at every turn. They can easily shoot you down from the sky, or you can hit an explosive or anything," Ellie argued.

"Ellie, please calm down, nothing will happen to us. Please look at me,” Nick insisted, placing one finger under her chin and lightly lifting her bent head. Then he waited for her to look in his eyes again.

When Ellie finally looked at him, Nick wasn't prepared for seeing tears beginning to appear in her eyes.

"No, please don't cry, Ellie, we'll take care of ourselves, I promise. But please don't cry," he tried to reassure her again.  
"I'm sorry, but I can't help it. It’s way too dangerous. I know you've been in more dangerous situations before, but now it's different, "she said. Her voice was full of various emotions.

Nick softly smiled at her and slowly leaned to her into a kiss, when they heard a noise on the steps behind them, making them quickly pull apart. They didn't need other people to see them kissing and they also didn't need everyone in NCIS to know about their relationship yet. The relationship that was only in its beginning.

"Don't worry, honey, I'll be careful and I will come back to you. I promise," Nick told Ellie, when they got to the parking lot together.  
"Do you really promise?"  
„Yes, I do," he smiled at her and finally kissed her more intensively. For a moment they both got lost in their kisses, until they almost ran out of air. Nick leaned his forehead against hers and for a moment he just looked into her eyes, seeing all of Ellie‘s worries written in her sight.  
"Just be careful and come back, okay?"  
"Yes, I'll be back," he assured her, placing one last quick kiss on her lips, smiling at her before he got into his car to go home so he could get some sleep and get ready for the next day.

Ellie was left completely alone in the quiet parking lot. Then she sighed and tried to calm down a little. She took a few deep breaths and then walked slowly to her car. She just had a weird feeling about this mission, but she couldn't define it precisely. She just hoped Nick and Gibbs would come home safely.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that the wait for the next chapter was longer than I wanted. I hope you like it. Unfortunately, this chapter is not much Ellick :(

Chapter 2

The next morning Gibbs, Torres, and Isabel Martinez were ready at the military airport, determined to find and bring her brother home at all costs.

"Are you ready, Lieutenant?" Nick asked her.  
"Yeah... I guess so."  
"It'll be fine. I promise we'll find him," Nick smiled at her.  
"Thank you, Agent Torres, for doing all this without knowing me or my brother," she replied.  
"It's our job," he added simply.  
"Hey, you two, the plane won't wait forever," Gibbs shouted at them.  
"You'll get used to this," Nick smiled at her again and walked with her to the plane.

After a long flight with one stopover in Germany, the plane finally landed on the Afghan soil.

"It would never occur to me that I would ever return to this country," Isabel sighed as she stood at the local airport.  
"You don't have good memories, I guess," Nick noted.  
"Unfortunately I don’t."  
"What happened?" he wondered.  
"It's been a long time and it's too painful, sorry. I don't like talking about it."  
"It's okay, you don't have to, if you don't want to. Everyone has something in their past that they don't want to share," he told her.  
"You're right, Agent Torres."  
"I'm Nick... call me Nick," he offered.  
"Isabel," she answered, reaching her hand to shake his to seal being on first-name terms.

Nick smiled at her and then they followed Gibbs to the car that was about to get them to the base where Oliver Martinez' last known position was.

Later that day, as the sun slowly began to set over the local base, Lieutenant Martinez sat down on a rock and stared into the sunset. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Nick coming closer and sitting next to her.

"Hey, Isabel, are you okay?" Nick asked.  
"As well as I can be. I‘m trying to be okay. But when I imagine that Oliver may be somewhere on his own… all alone and injured… or even…" A few tears slid down her face.  
"You can't immediately think of the worst that could happen. Maybe he's in a village helping his friend like you mentioned before."  
"I hope there’s something else going on than I think. Anyway… thank you, Nick, for listening to me."  
"You're welcome. I’ve just remembered my colleagues mentioning you were from Florida too."  
"You too, Nick? I'm from Orlando," she replied.  
"Coincidences are happening. I'm from Miami. And what made you move all the way to DC?”  
"My brother was transferred there and I went with him. We've been in DC for just over three years. I miss my former home, although DC is slowly becoming a new home to me. And what about you, Nick? What brought you to DC?" Isabel asked.  
"That would be for a longer discussion and I don't want to talk about it right now," he replied.  
"You don't have to. Maybe some other time," Isabel smiled at him.  
"It's late and we should rest after the long journey," Nick suggested.  
"I guess you're right. Good night, Nick," she said and went to her quarters.

Nick stayed for a moment longer, watching the horizont as the sky slowly darkened. It was completely dark, when he finally went to bed as well.

In the following days, the agents started to search within the villages located near the base. Unfortunately, none of the locals had ever seen Isabel‘s brother. This search lasted more than three weeks and Isabel was losing hope of finding him. Until one day, when a message came in, saying where the lost man might be. This message was first received at NCIS. It came in as a video, where the insurgents demanded releasing their captured friends in exchange for releasing Oliver.

"We can't let these people go," Nick said.  
"I don't care, I want my brother back," Isabel disagreed.  
"We can't do this. These people are dangerous and we're not negotiating with terrorists. You might know that."  
"Yeah, I know, but you have to understand, Nick."  
"I do understand, but we have to find another way. I promise that we will."  
"Okay, but it's taking too long and we haven't gotten anywhere."  
"Our team at home in DC is working on the video they received. McGee is trying to do some of his technical magic," Nick replied.  
"Hopefully they'll find something."

Somehow they managed to find the location of the insurgents. Therefore the base commander put together a team to find Oliver.

Gibbs and Torres, accompanied by the team of soldiers, went to the mountains, where the locals pinpointed the insurgents‘ hiding place. Isabel had an argument with Nick, as she wanted to go with them. She offered that she could translate or be helpful in any other way, but the commander and Gibbs insisted that she would rather stay at the base where she and McGee, who stayed in MTAC, would guard the satellites.

Their journey through the sandy and bumpy landscape took about two hours before the entire convoy reached the rocks, where the insurgents seemed to be hiding.

The whole team deployed, while Gibbs and Nick went to one of the deeper caves. The rebels, nor Oliver were nowhere to be seen. This whole "cave-base" seemed empty and it was clear that no one had been here for a long time. Nick went deeper into the cave, where he found some signs of people leaving the cave quickly.

"Hey, Gibbs… come here to see this," Nick said over the walkie talkie.

Gibbs didn't answer, but Nick heard footsteps behind him, knowing it was Gibbs.

„What do you have, Torres?“ Gibbs asked.  
„Look at this,“ Nick answered and pointed at the pile of some burned stuff.

Nick pulled a burned Dog Tag with Oliver Martinez' name from the burned pile.

"God, I hope that's not what I think it is," Nick sighed, looking at Gibbs.  
"We'll take some samples and hopefully it won't be what we both think," Gibbs told him.  
"Okay, boss, but I feel bad about it," he added.  
"We'll see."

When they returned, Isabel was waiting for Nick and Gibbs, wanting to know what they had found. Nick got out of the car and walked towards her. She was trying to read something from his face expression, but she didn't see anything and therefore she didn't know what to think.

"Isabel, please try not to get scared," Nick began.  
"What… what happened?"  
"We found this," he showed her the Dog Tags.  
"My God, they belong to my brother… and why are they charred? What happened? Where did you find it?" she started asking questions.  
"We found it in those caves that were confirmed by our people in MTAC, but neither Oliver nor the rebels were there. No one was there…"  
"Oliver is dead, isn’t he, Nick? Please, tell me the truth," her emotions began to emerge on the surface.  
"Isabel, please calm down… we only found his marks... nothing else."  
"Then why are they charred?"  
"I don't know, but we can't think of the worst. There's always a chance that the rebels just left it there. You just have to have hope."  
"Okay, I'll try," she replied.

For the next few days, nothing major happened, only the DC team got another video. A video only Gibbs and Torres knew about. A video that confirmed their worst fears. Oliver Martinez was dead and the only thing left were his Dog Tags. Now it was up to them to share it with his sister.

"Isabel… we need to talk," Nick told her.  
"What was in the video that your DC team received?" she asked.  
"Well, how do you know about it? It was just me and Gibbs, who knew there was a new video. No one else knew."  
"Okay, I was watching you,“ she admitted. „But what the hell does the video show?"  
"Oliver's death," he said.  
"So that's what I've been thinking all along… how did he die, Nick?" she asked.  
"He was burned to death. I know that there's no point in lying. Your brother died a horrible death.“  
"I knew it… the Dog Tags… the time full of failure and dead ends, it was clear to me," she began to cry. Nick didn't expect anything else and he immediately hugged her.  
"What am I going to do without him now? I don't have anyone else in the world… not anymore," she hugged him back and cried.  
"I know I'm not your family, but I can be a friend of yours and I'll try to help you as best as I can."  
"Thank you. As a friend, I hope you won’t talk me out of the thing that I'm going to do," she wiped her tears and tried to look like a soldier. Tough and unbreakable. Her expression, however, said something else.  
"What do you want to do?" Nick asked, all confused.  
"To take revenge, no matter what it takes."  
"No, Isabel, it's too dangerous and we don't know where they are."  
"I don't care, I'll look for them til the end of the world. I want to get them, no matter what it costs. Besides, I don't have anyone in the world anymore and I don't care what happens," she snapped defiantly.  
"Isabel, a revenge will never help," Nick tried to calm her down.  
"No, Nick. I'm just not going to leave it like that. And I don't care if I have to do it by myself," she pushed Nick away and ran to her quarters.

Later that evening, Isabel knocked the door at Nick's room.  
"Hey… hello, how are you?" he asked, inviting her in.  
"Not very well… anyway, I need your help."  
"What's going on? What's the matter?" he asked.  
"I'm going after them and I need you to cover for me," she replied.  
"No way, Isabel, you're crazy. This isn't working like that."  
"I don't care, I just need you to cover for me, that’s all. If someone asks for me, tell them… for example that I went to a local village or something, but just cover for me. Please, Nick," Isabel said desperately.  
"No, Isabel, I won't do it."  
"Well then… I'll do it by myself. I just thought you said we were friends. Although we only know each other for a while, I felt like there was a connection between us and I was hoping that you would be my friend. I don't have many friends in DC, so I hoped. But it’s fine… if you don't want to do it, I'll do it myself."

She left his room, ran to her place to equip herself and then went to the car.

"Damn," Nick exhaled, running after her without hesitation.

Isabel picked up her weapon and other gear and was about to start the car.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked Isabel, as soon as he jumped into the vehicle.  
"I already told you, I'm going to find the rebels and you won't stop me either. So get out of my car… I'll go out on my own," she shouted at him.  
"That’s out of question. If you want to do something crazy, I'm going to do it with you," Nick was uncompromising.  
"But... but what about Gibbs and NCIS?" she asked.  
"Look, I don't care. Something could happen to you, Isabel. And I won't leave you alone. I‘ve already told you that you were my friend. I will help you."  
"Thank you… thank you… it means so much to me," she smiled at him eventually.  
„That's what friends are for, aren't they? Even if we only know each other for a while," he smiled back at her.

"Nick, you didn't have to do this. At home, you have people you care about, but I have nothing to lose," she told him after a while of a quiet ride.  
"Look, I said we were friends and I promised to help you. And yes, I have people I care about. An older sister, a niece and a girlfriend," he replied.  
"Agent Bishop…" she smiled at him.  
"How?"  
"Well, it wasn't hard to tell. The way she looked at me… like she was jealous… but she doesn't have to be afraid. I won't try anything on you."  
"It's complicated between us... well, not complicated, but we've been together only for three months and no one knows it yet. And I don't know how our team or her family would react," he replied.  
"You're a nice person and I don't know, why they should be afraid…"

But unfortunately she didn't finish the rest of the sentence because there was an unexpected explosion nearby their car. Neither of them managed to react to it, so their car overturned on the roof. Nick hit his head and lost consciousness for a moment. Isabel’s left leg got wedged and she couldn't get out. The next thing Nick registered was Isabel trying to wake him.

"What the hell happened?"  
"I guess we ran into a mine or something," she replied, trying to get her leg out.  
"What happened to you? What’s wrong with your leg?"  
"When that damn car got on the roof, my leg got stuck and I can‘t get out. And what about your head? You hit yourself quite hard, when we overturned."  
"Yeah, it hurts like hell, but otherwise I'm fine. We have to get you out before anyone comes here."  
"It won't probably work. My leg hurts and I can't move with it. There’s probably something stuck in that leg, it hurts terribly."  
"Okay ... okay, but we can't stay here like this," Nick explained, trying to free himself. After few moments of kicking into the door on his side, he managed to release himself. Right away he hurried to Isabel's side to release her as well.

"Isi, it's going to hurt, but I have to get you out," he told her, trying with all his strenght to open the door, but it didn't work.  
"Nick, it's not worth it. Just leave me here and save yourself. You have someone to live for, I don't have anyone anymore… get out, just do it!" she said urgently.  
"No, I won't leave you here, do you understand, Isi? Now... it's going to hurt. Damn it, you lost a lot of blood. Probably as the car turned, some piece got stuck in your leg," he urged her to endure it.

As he slowly began to get her leg out, Isabel tried not to scream in pain.

"Hey... it's almost done. Please, just hold on, okay? I almost finished. Girl, everything will end up just fine," he smiled at her and tried one last time to get her leg out. When he finally succeeded, Isabel finally fainted from the pain. The next thing she remembered was an uncompromising slap that woke her up.

"Hello, welcome back. I apologize for the slap, I usually don't beat women and mostly I’m trying to be a gentleman," Nick smiled and finished her treatment.  
"That's fine," she replied, trying to move.  
"Hey, what are you doing? You shouldn’t be moving. Although I did my best to fix your leg, I'm not a doctor, you need some stitching," he tried to stop her.  
"Then give me a stick or something to lean on," she suggested.  
"God, you're probably a very stubborn person, aren't you?" he asked her.  
"You have no idea, how much," she replied.  
"Fine, but we have to get away. Someone is coming here and it doesn’t seem like a friendly visit."  
"All right," she said, trying to stand up again.

Despite his protests, Nick eventually helped Isabel back on her feet. And it was just at the same moment, when three cars pulled over nearby. Several men jumped out of those cars and immediately started firing at them.

"Well, this isn't going to be good," Nick said. He had previously managed to get weapons out of their car. He handed one of them to Isabel.

It all turned as bad as it could. Nick and Isabel got into a shootout with the rebels.

"Isabel, I'll try to lure them in and you have to run away. You have to get to the radio in our car and call Gibbs and the soldiers. We can't do this alone.“  
"No, Nick, we have to manage it together. Nick, I'm not leaving you here," she shouted over the shooting.  
"Isabel, damn it, get out," he looked at her, nodding her to run away and hide.

While he was trying to help her by firing at the rebels to distract them, Isabel ran as fast as she could to get to the wreckage of their car. She didn't think about her injuries, as she was trying to get to the radio quickly. Meanwhile, Nick was trying to shoot to cover himself and Isabel, but he was alone against several guys with a larger arsenal.

"This is Isabel Martinez, we need an immediate help. We got into a shootout. Agent Torres and I are injured," Isabel shouted into the radio, hoping someone at the base would hear her. She repeated her call three more times until Gibbs finally called back.  
"Lieutenant, where are you, what happened?" he asked.  
"Gibbs, we need to get away. It's all my fault, please send someone," she said urgently again.

„They're on their way," was all she heard from Gibbs before the connection broke.

Isabel looked back at Nick and wanted to join him. But Nick shook his head for her not doing it. She was already hurt enough and he didn't want her to get injured even more. What neither of them could have guessed was that far more insurgents were approaching them. It was more than obvious that the two of them wouldn’t be able to handle it on their own. The backup that Isabel called for was way too far and both Nick and Isabel were not very successful in keeping all the rebels away with just two weapons. Despite her injuries, Isabel had to help Nick. She couldn't let him do it alone.

"I told you to drop out. What did you not understand about it, for crying out loud?"  
"Was I supposed to let you die here? Are you crazy? At least we'll die together trying to get them."  
"Crazy woman... that’s what you are."

Nick and Isabel continued to fire, but unfortunately they were running out of the ammunition and no help was in sight. One of the rebels was about to throw a grenade at them.

"Damn it! Isabel, lie down!" Nick shouted, but before they could react, there was a blast that knocked them both to the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

Another sound Isabel heard was the shooting and the sound of a helicopter. She saw Gibbs and some other people she didn't know. She saw it all in a blur, not knowing where Nick was or what had happened. She tried to sit up, but someone's hands tried to pull her down. She tried to fight with this grip, but the hands were too strong.

Another thing she registered was a strange smell that was somehow connected with the hospital or something similar. She couldn't make anything out, her head was in terrible pain. It all came to her as if she was in a dream.

"Hey, Lieutenant… Isabel," she heard someone calling her name, but she couldn't tell who it was.  
"Isabel... come on," the voice tried again.  
"Gibbs... what... what the hell happened? Where's Nick? What happened?" she began asking him questions. Her brain began to work slowly, attributing everything to getting a fairly decent dose of sedatives.

"Calm down, you're back at base, you're safe," Gibbs assured her, but he didn't say a word about Nick.  
"Gibbs, what happened to Nick? He was there with me. Then the guy threw a grenade and Nick... for God's sake, don’t tell me that Nick is dead," she asked, all terrified.  
"No, he's not dead. Before we got there, the rebels attacked you, threw a grenade, and Nick protected you,” Gibbs explained.  
"How is he? Please, Gibbs, I need to know."  
"Since he didn't have a vest, some fragments of the grenade hit him. He's in surgery now, but hopefully it'll be fine. We should go home tomorrow," he replied.  
"Will I be able to see him, please? Gibbs, he's done so much for me, I just want to make sure he's okay," she asked.  
"You'll see him after the operation, but rest now, you've had enough. And please… let me, Isabel, express my deepest condolences on the loss of your brother."  
"Thank you… even though I hoped it would have a different ending," she replied sadly.  
Gibbs smiled at her, gently squeezed her shoulder, and left her alone to rest a little.

At NCIS

Meanwhile, the DC team received the news that Gibbs and Torres were returning. Unfortunately, Vance also had to tell them about what had happened. Both agents McGee and Bishop were shocked by the news.

"Sir, how serious it is with Agent Torres?" Ellie asked, trying not to let her voice show how much she was afraid for him.  
"According to Gibbs, he was hit by some fragments of a grenade. It's not serious, but he had to have surgery," he told her. But Ellie didn't seem to be relieved.  
"They are returning home tomorrow. Lieutenant Martinez and Agent Torres will both be taken to Bethesda Military Hospital," Vance said.

Ellie just thanked quietly and went back to do her job. Well, she tried to, but her thoughts were several thousand miles away.

In Afghanistan

The next day, they were preparing to leave Afghanistan.

"Ready?" Gibbs asked.  
"Yeah, I'll be more than glad to never see this country again," Isabel said, clutching her brother's dog tags in her hand. The only thing that was left after him. A coffin covered with the American flag flies home with them. Unfortunately, it was empty, there was no body to transport. She felt Nick's hand squeeze her shoulder gently. She covered his hand and slowly followed him into the plane that would take them home.

After a long and tiring flight, the plane finally landed. It was obvious to Isabel that she was glad to be home, even though it meant that her only family was gone forever. An ambulance was waiting for both of them, bringing them to the hospital.

At the hospital, Nick was already waiting for his sister, Ellie and McGee. Isabel was glad that Nick got home in one piece, even though it was all her fault that he was injured. She shouldn't have been so persistent to drag him and Gibbs into her search for her brother.

"Hey guys, I've already told you I'm fine. Just some scars, but nothing serious," Nick tried to reassure everyone in the hospital room. It may have worked for McGee, but not for his sister and Ellie.  
"You must stay here for a few days, as the doctor said," noted his sister Lucia.  
"Lucia's right, they have to keep an eye on you here, you can't just go back to work right away," Ellie agreed with her.  
"I'm really fine. McGee, help me," Nick said to his friend.  
"I'm sorry, Nick, but they're both right. You have to stay here, for a few days at least," he said.  
"Fine... fine, but only because of you two, or you wouldn't give me a break," Nick resigned, looking at Ellie and Lucia.  
"He's finally listening," his sister sighed, although she was smiling.

Later, she and McGee went home so Nick could get some rest. Only Ellie was left alone with him.

"You don't even know how scared I was when Vance told us you were hurt," Ellie told him, taking his hand in hers.  
"Sorry babe, I didn't mean to scare you, but I'm really fine… just a few scratches, nothing serious," he assured her again, gently squeezing her hand.

Isabel burst into his room as Nick was about to kiss Ellie.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I had no idea you had anyone here," she apologized quickly and smiled.  
"Hey, it's okay. Isabel, this is my colleague and girlfriend Ellie Bishop. You already met her when you first came to us," Nick said, smiling at both women.

"Hi. Again. I really didn't want to disturb, I just thought I could teach you the chess as I told you on the plane," she pointed to the chessboard in their hands.  
"Chess... Nick... seriously," Ellie smiled.  
"Well, Isabel was talking about it on the plane, and I said that when I'm locked up here and bored, I’ll need something for distraction," he replied with a smile.  
"It never occurred to me that you would be a person who liked to play chess. How serious is your concussion?”  
"Look, don't make fun of me, everyone has their own time to start," he said angrily.  
"Yeah, sure, and when I wanted to play with you, you said it was too complicated," Ellie said.  
"Sorry, honey, but she's more stubborn than the two of us combined," Nick said, smiling at Isabel. 

But Ellie felt that strange feeling again... a feeling of jealousy. Even though she didn't want to admit it, it was there.

"Well, I guess I should let Nick rest," Ellie suggested.  
"No, don't go seriously, I don't need to rest," Nick protested.  
"But you should, I'll be back tomorrow. Isabel, I'm glad you're okay and I'm sorry about your brother." Ellie said and left.  
"I'm so sorry for this interruption, Nick. If I knew your girlfriend was here, I wouldn't come. Ellie must think I'm going to run after you or something. "  
"Ellie will be fine. She knows I only like her and you're only my friend," Nick said.  
"She doesn't think so. She really doesn't have to worry. Anyway, in few days I'll go back home to Florida, where Oliver will be buried in our family grave," Isabel said.  
"You'll go there alone?" he asked.  
"Yeah ... I'll go, but first I have to go to Oliver's apartment to clear things up. It's a terrible idea that I'm actually going to bury an empty casket," she replied sadly.  
"If you want to help, I can go with you," Nick offered.  
"You're hurt and there's nothing you can do, so I'll do it myself and don't worry, nothing will happen to me. I should let you rest now. See you in a few days."  
"Okay, but be careful and let me know, if you need anything," Nick smiled at her and handed her a card with his phone number.  
"Thank you... Nick, thank you for doing everything for me, even though you didn't have to," she smiled at him and kissed him gently on the cheek, before she left the room.

A few days later, Isabel returned to the hospital to see Nick to tell him some things.

"I hope that you don’t make all the nurses mad," Isabel said cheerfully as she entered his room.  
"Well, hello, girl! I'm glad to see you again. How did it go with cleaning up your brother's apartment?” he asked.  
"Well, not so bad. Although it was strange a little. And I also found something that Oliver mentioned in his message. It's kind of weird – it's actually meant for you and someone named Lucia Campbell. Do you know some woman with this name?" she asked, handing him one of the white envelopes.  
"Yeah, I know her well, actually. Lucia Campbell is my older sister. How could your brother know my sister," he asked.  
"I don't know... I found it in his documents. I was quite surprised to find your name on the cover. I know your naime was mentioned in his first message, but it never occurred to me that your name would be mentioned again," Isabel explained.  
"Hmm, really weird... well, anyway, I have to call my sister to give her the envelope too."  
"I'll let you do it, okay? You'll probably want to be alone for a while to read the letter," Isabel suggested.  
„No, it’s fine, you can stay here." Nick answered.  
"Okay... well... and also I should probably tell you, what I learned about Oliver going to Afghanistan on his own. His commander contacted me. Oliver allegedly applied for the mission himself. His friend needed to find his son, who had been taken out from their village by the rebels. It is said that they did it in several villages and mainly focused on young boys around 15 years of age to get them into their units. And since the man saved his life, Oliver felt he had to pay it back, so he went there,“ Isabel finished her story.  
"He just wanted to help, you can be proud of him," Nick smiled at her.  
"I'm proud of him... he's a hero... he was… I still forget about it. Well, I'll let you read the letter," she said quickly, preferring to leave.

Nick wanted to stop her, but Isabel was faster. He just sighed and laid his head on the pillow. He wanted to read the letter, but decided to wait for the moment, when he is released from the hospital and then speak with his sister. 

When Nick got home from hospital some time later, his sister was the first person that he called. He had to share with her the letter he had received.

"What was going on? You sounded pretty urgent on the phone," Lucia asked after she arrived at his apartment.  
"Remember how I had to go to Afghanistan with Gibbs a month ago to help one Lieutenant? A woman named Isabel Martinez to find her brother? Unfortunately it didn't turn out as we all imagined. We were looking for him, but unfortunately he ended up dead. There was practically nothing left from him. They burned him alive." Nick told her an abridged version of the story.  
"That's terrible, poor Lieutenant. But why are you telling me all this?" she asked.  
"Her brother told her that she had some letters to pass on to some addresses, and one of them was for me – even though I didn't know her brother. And the other letter is addressed to you, which is even more weird," Nick said, handing her a second letter with her name on it.  
"I don't understand it... what was his name?" Lucia asked.  
"Oliver Martinez. Did you know him?"  
"No ... it doesn't sound familiar, I didn't know him," she replied, taking the letter from him.  
"Luc, what do we do? Shall we read those letters?" he asked.  
"Let's do it," Lucia smiled, opening her envelope with Nick following her.

When Nick and Lucia read their letters, they both looked at each other and could not believe the words that were written. They both stared at each other wordlessly for a long time.

"Well, I didn't expect this at all," Nick was the first to speak.  
"Well, this is something," Lucia said.  
"I have to call Isabel, we need to talk to her. She is going to Florida to bury her brother. And I wanted to go with her, but she refused."  
"You should go, she will need you. You have to tell her all of this, she has to know," Lucia insisted.  
"Yeah ... I don't think she knows... I tguess she'll be very surprised," Nick replied.  
"She will. Nick, go with her. And then we both need to get to know her well," Lucia smiled.

A few days after the biggest discovery in Nick's life, he was going on a trip with Isabel. He gave her his and Lucia’s letters to read. It was clear that she didn't know anything either. It was a quite massive revelation in their lives.  
"Are you sure you want to go there with me?" Isabel asked as she was at his apartment, where Nick was packing to Florida.  
"Yeah ... I'm ... Gibbs already knows I'm taking a few days off, so it's okay. I can recover both there and here, it doesn't matter," he replied.  
"What about Ellie? How did you explain that to her?" Isabel asked suddenly.

He hadn't spoken much to Ellie since he found out the big secret. He didn't know how to tell her or even where to start, so he decided not to tell her anything yet. He wasn't ready for it, he was actually afraid of her reaction.

"Well, we haven't talked about it yet. Wait, are you talking about our thing or about me going to Florida with you?"  
"I mean both. At least you have to tell her that you're leaving for a few days, don't be a jerk," Isabel remarked.  
"Watch your mouth. Anyway… I know you're right, I should tell her – she deserves to know," he replied sadly.  
"Then call her. What are you waiting for? She's your girlfriend. And you're a jerk, if you lose her," she said angrily at him, throwing his phone in front of him.

When Nick was about to dial Ellie's number, someone knocked on the door of his apartment.

"I'll get there, you call," Isabela smiled and walked to the door, which she quickly opened.  
"Oh hello ... Nick was about to call you," she said when she saw Ellie in front of the door.  
"Bela, whoever it is, don't let him stand in front of the door," Nick's voice came from the apartment.

Ellie and Isabel stared at each other for a long time, until their awkward silence was interrupted by Nick coming in as he wondered what took Isabela so long to open.

"Ellie. Hi. Come on in. I tried to call you, but you didn't answer," Nick said, smiling when he saw her. He was about to kiss her, but she avoided him. He looked at her in confusion, but said nothing yet.

"I'll wait next door," Isabel said, disappearing into the next room.  
"When did you want to tell me you were going to Florida... with her?" Ellie said with a profound jealousy in her voice that she wasn't trying to hide anymore.  
"Ellie, wait ... I ... who told you that?" he asked.  
"Gibbs. He said you took some recovery time and you were going to Florida," Ellie said.  
"Yeah, it’s true. I learned something and I want to close it all off with Isabel... and also be her support."  
"Yeah, fine... never mind. I'll go... you have to pack up and I won't be interrupting the two of you."  
"Ellie ... damn wait! I have to explain it all to you… Ellie, wait! B! Eleanor…" he tried to stop her with all her possible names, but nothing helped. Ellie left his apartment as quickly as she had arrived before. With tears in her eyes, she quickly ran down the stairs to her car. Nick didn't hesitate and ran to catch her. At least he tried, as his injuries didn't allow him move that quickly as he wanted.

"Ellie, damn it! It's completely different than you think," he tried to stop her.  
"Yeah, so how comes that she came to open the door for me in your shirt? And you call her Bela! She's your type... more than me. So don't tell me it's not what I think it is," Ellie shouted at him.  
,,So first of all, it's not my shirt ... it's her brother’s. Secondly, there’s nothing between her and me. Thirdly she's not my type – that's you. It's always been you! Damn Ellie, I have nothing with her,“ he said and looked into her eyes.  
"I know what your shirts look like. I thought you were different. Go... go to Florida with her," Ellie said, getting into her car.  
"Ellie, she's not what you think. Isabel is my sister!" he shouted at her, but unfortunately Ellie didn't hear the last words as she already left.


	4. Chapter 4

After two weeks in Florida, Nick returned home. Those two weeks were quite challenging for him and Isabel. Isabel lost a brother, but gained a new one at the same time. None of them could still believe that they are actually siblings. They were only half-siblings, but still siblings. Isabel thought she had lost the only family she had, but suddenly she got a brother and a sister.

In Florida, they both mad a thick line behind their past. Isabel told Nick about her father… their father – what he was like. It never occurred to her that her father had another family. He never talked about them and acted like she and Oliver were the only children he had. Isabel told Nick that even her mother hadn‘t known about their father's past. Nick learned that his father had lived long enough for him or Lucia to contact them at any time and solve everything.

Thanks to the letter Nick found out that his father had regretted all of his decisions, but it was too late to correct them. Nick never had many memories of his father, but on the other hand Isabel had a lot of them.

Whatever he was like and whatever secrets he had, he was still Isabel‘s father and she liked him. On one hand, Nick felt sad that he had no memories of him, but on the other hand, he knew that his father never wanted to see him and Lucia again. The man may had been his father, but Nick had no feelings for him. He didn't feel anything to him. The man was willing to leave one family to start a new one. In some way, this man hurt two families. If it weren't for Oliver's death, neither Nick nor Isabel would ever have known each other, and one family secret would be buried deep forever.

Nick decided to tell the team what he found out ... he owed them the answers after the two weeks of complete silence. He just hoped Ellie would come so could explain it all.

"Are you nervous about telling the team?" Isabel asked as he was prepairing the dinner at his apartment.  
"Yeah ... yeah, I'm glad Lucia and Amanda, our whole family, will be there," he replied with a smile.  
"Yes. When I came to NCIS, I would never guess that I would find a new brother... an older, quite annoying brother," she teased hum.  
"Neither did I, even though I thought you were quite diferent than other people we've ever helped," Nick replied.  
"Some secret sibling bond, maybe? Oliver and I had it all the time. Somehow we just knew when the other one was in trouble. Even when I got the message, I knew something was wrong," Isabel said.  
"I'm really sorry I didn't know him. Maybe the two of us would understand each other well," Nick remarked.

The team began to gather for a dinner that Nick decided to hold for all of them. The first to arrive were Lucia and Amanda, both of whom quickly got used to Isabel and accepted her into their family. Now it was time to tell the team all about this.

"Hi guys, I'm glad you all arrived," Nick greeted them. Unfortunately the only one who was missing was Ellie.  
"You invited us, so here we are," McGee replied.  
"Tim, where is Ellie?" Nick asked.  
"Something popped up, she said she'd see you when you got back to work," he said, but Nick knew it wasn't true.  
"Ah... well ... well ... I would like to introduce you to someone," Nick tried to change the subject, turning to his friends, who were waiting to see what he wanted to tell them.  
"Your new girlfriend," Kasie snapped.  
"What? Isabel? My girlfriend ... god no, Kasie..." he replied, frightened.  
"Then why is she here?" Jimmy asked.  
"Isabel is mine ... our half-sister," Nick replied, pointing between him and Lucia.

The silence that suddenly arised could be cut with a knife. No one said anything for a long time and kept silent.

"Wow," Kasie said first.  
"Step-sister," McGee repeated in disbelief.  
"Yes, if it wasn‘t for this case, we would never have known about each other," Nick told them.  
"Wait, you two never saw each other until you got the case?" Jimmy asked.  
"No… I never knew about Nick or Lucia ... our father never told me or Oliver that we had older siblings. But he had to feel remorse, because before his death he left letters to Oliver to deliver them to Nick and Lucia, where he explained everything to them and tried to apologize," Isabel replied.

Everyone was surprised by this news, but eventually welcomed Isabel to their NCIS family.

"Kasie, where is Ellie really? McGee said something popped up, but I know it's not true. So please, where is she?” Nick asked.  
"She didn't want to come and see you with another woman, she told me about your relationship and how your kept it from us."  
"She didn't hear me screaming for her, she didn't want to her the explanation. Kasie, you have to help me to deal with it."  
"I’ll do my best, but there are things you have to do by yourself. And you shoulnd‘t waste time," Kasie told him.  
"Wait, what you mean?" Nick asked, confused.  
"Ellie… she wants to leave, she saw you happy with Isabel and so she wanted to give you space. Unfortunately, she has no idea it's not what she thinks," Kasie replied.  
"Damn, when? The last time I saw her was in my apartement. I tried to explained it to her but she didn’t listen. I have to do something about it. And where the hell does she want to go?"  
"She said something about the New Orleans branch or going back to the NSA, but she said she had far more job offers."  
"What? She never told me about it."  
"There was no reason. She never told anyone about the job offers, because she was happy here, she didn't even think about it. And now that it's all different and therefore she started thinking about it. But she seems to be confused with the fact that you have a new girl," Kasie said.  
"Kasie, you have to help me… please," Nick desperately looked at her.  
"I'll help, but you know very well how stubborn Ellie can be," she smiled encouragingly at him.  
"If I can get involved, I'd like to help too. It's partially my fault," Isabel interrupted.  
"Your sister is right, we'll help you," Kasie said.

The rest of the evening was calm and friendly, everyone had a good time and got a chance to get to know Isabel better. She was friendly to everyone and especially to Kasie, with whom she started planning, how to calm Nick and Ellie and put things back in order. Everyone was slowly starting to leave, leaving only Lucia and Isabel, who together with Kasie had a plan to make things tight. Lucia volunteered because she liked Ellie.

"Okay, the three of you… what's going on here?" Nick asked as he saw those three women in the corner of the room whispering something to each other.  
"Nothing, brother, just some women's things," Lucia told him.  
"Okay, okay, I didn't say a thing," he smiled at them.

After the teamnight, Nick tried to contact Ellie several times, but always unsuccessfully. All his calls and messages were ignored. He was a little afraid of returning to work, because he had no idea, how Ellie would treat him.

On Monday morning, after almost 14 days, Nick finally returned to work. Gibbs and McGee were already there, but Ellie was nowhere to be seen and he couldn't find her car in the parking lot.

"Welcome back, Torres, and now grab the equipment, we have a case," Gibbs said, welcoming him to work.

Nick didn't wait for anything and immediately went to see Gibbs and McGee to find out, what the case is about. The only one who wasn't with them was Ellie.

She didn't show up all day. Nick tried to talk to everyone about her, but no one said anything. It took a lot of time of that day, when he finally learned something.

Ellie was sent to New Orleans for a few days to help the local team with some case and Nick was told she wouldn’t return until the end of the week. It was a long time to wait, but unfortunately he had no other choice. He even tried to reach her during the week, even called to the New Orleans branch, but he wasn’t lucky with catching up. He felt she was avoiding him and didn't want to talk to him at all.

When the day of Ellie’s return came, Nick used his interrogation method on Kasie, forcing her to tell him, when is Ellie about to return, as he wanted to wait for her at the airport. Kasie wasn't thrilled about it, but as she had promised, she wanted to help Nick to make Ellie talk to him again, so she sent him to the airport to pick her up on his own.

He was waiting in the crowd, looking for the familiar-looking head full of blond hair. He saw Ellie right away, but she was so into looking for Kasie that she didn't notice him.

"Hi Ellie, nice to see you again," Nick's voice interrupted her search for Kasie.  
"Ni... Nick, what the hell are you doing here? Where's Kasie?" she asked, startled. She certainly wasn't expecting him here.  
"I came to pick you up so you wouldn't have to take a taxi. Unfortunately Kasie had to arrange something, so she asked me to give you a ride," he explained.  
"Oh well… take me home then," she said nothing else and just went to collect her luggage.

She left him far behind and didn't turn back, as she wasn't too happy that he was there. She hoped to avoid him as long as possible. She had been doing well for three weeks and now he was here and unfortunately she had to spend the journey in the car with him, as he was about to take her to her apartment. She was afraid of the whole conversation with him about his new girlfriend, although she wished him well and was glad he was happy. After all, they had only been together for three months and had not yet told anyone.

"How was New Orleans?" Nick asked after a long minute of silence, as they were sitting in his car.  
"Yeah... yeah it was nice," she replied softly, hoping he wouldn't ask any more questions and that the journey would pass quickly so she could to be home as soon as possible.  
"Yeah, that's fine," he said softly.

He wanted to say something more, but when he saw her looking out the window as she obviously didn't want to talk to him, he preferred not to continue in the conversation.

After half an hour of quiet driving, they arrived at her apartment. Ellie was about to get out of his car quickly and get home as fast as possible, but Nick took her hand and wanted her to look at him. He did not expect what he saw in her eyes. Like the day he left her in the parking lot the night he was about to leave to Afghanistan, he saw tears in her eyes.

"Ellie, why are you avoiding me and not want to talk to me at all?" Nick asked, wanting to wipe away her tears, but she avoided his touch.  
"I'm tired, it's been a long flight.“  
"What's going on? Please, talk to me."  
"Nick, I'm really tired. We'll talk some other time ... and you should be somewhere else. Isn’t your new girlfriend waiting for you?" Ellie said with a pain in her voice.  
"What ... what? I don't have a girlfriend! Oh, that sounded so stupid… I don't have a new girlfriend. If I remember well, you are my girlfriend, or did something change when I was gone?" Nick asked.  
"Yes, there is a change... your new girlfriend's name is Lieutenant Isabel Martinez. The one you spent 14 days in Florida with," Ellie replied.  
"What?? No! Isabel is not my girlfriend! If you waited for the first time you, you would hear the ending of what I wanted to tell you," he explained.  
"I don't need to hear it."  
"Isabel isn't and never will be my girlfriend... she's my sister, my half-sister," he told her.  
"You only say that to make me feel better – that’s the way I see it. I'm going home now and I'm not interested in anything you want to say. Good night. And as far as I know, you only have one sister, and she's definitely not a lieutenant," Ellie replied. She just looked at him with tears in her eyes and left.

Nick stood there, staring at her as she was leaving and he had no idea what to do. He decided to try again another time, but eventually he had to talk to her, no matter if she listened to him or not. He sighed deeply and went home, where Isabele was waiting for him.

"So how did it go with Ellie?" she asked as he walked through the door.  
"Bela, I don't want to talk about it right now, okay? I just wanna go to sleep," he replied, disappearing in his bedroom.  
"Nick, what happened?" she called to him through the door.  
"Isabel, I really don't want to talk about it, I'm sorry," said a voice behind the door.  
"Nick, I'll go there and tell her everything. It can't be that way. Anyway, it's all my fault and I'll do everything to help you," she replied.

A few days later, they met at work again. Nick hoped to talk to Elli and have a chance to explain it to her for once. When they were in the elevator together, Nick put it on standby and the lights went out.

"Will you listen to me now, Ellie, please?" he asked.  
"No! I won't, we have a job now and Gibbs won't like it, if we don't have any news about the case, so turn the elevator on again," Ellie snapped.  
"Damn it, Ellie! I have to explain it to you. And I know you're going talk about not caring about it all, but damn! Isabel is not my girlfriend! How many times do I have to say it? She's my half-sister. We found it out recently. You can easily ask Lucia about that. She'll tell you too. It was an incredible surprise for us. Nobody knew about it, not even Isabel," Nick told her.  
"Nick, I just don't trust you. You'd say anything to fix it. I understand that you became closer there in Afghanistan. Sometimes such things happen in aggravated situations. And I wish you the best with her… she‘s more of your type than I am. She is beautiful and young, and even though I don't like it, she's also nice. It's been a beautiful three months, but it's time to move on. I know that Kasie told you about my job offers and I'm honestly considering some of them. Don't get me wrong ... I want us to stay friends at least, but if we're on the same team, it won't turn out well," Ellie told him honestly.  
"Ellie, you can’t be serious. I never cheated on you and you don't even let me to explain it. It's really not what you think, give me a chance to prove it," Nick insisted.  
"We should go back to work," she avoided answering him and turned the elevator on again.

Later that day, the case was completed and everyone was on their way home. The only ones who didn’t leave yet were Nick and Ellie. Nick tried to talk to her about it for the rest of the day, but always unsuccessfully. She always used the work or something as an excuse. Now it was just the two of them, so he decided to talk to her again.

"Are you hungry? We could get some pizza," he tried to offer.  
"No, thanks, I'm tired. It's been a long day. Good night and see you tomorrow, "she said goodbye to him and hurried home.

Nick had no choice but to go home as well. His sister Isabel was at his house and she started living with him. She was looking for her own apartment, but so far she stayed with Nick. And every day she noticed he was suffering. She was to blame for everything, because she invaded his life so unexpectedly. She had to do something about it. She decided to take things into her own hands. She let both Lucia and Kasie know that she was going to talk to Ellie. She took Nick's and Lucia's letters and went to see Ellie. She was determined to show her everything.

Ellie decided to go to bed early that day. What she definitely didn‘t expect was anyone knocking on her door. Reluctantly, she got up and went to open it. Somehow she expected it to be Nick to be apologizing again, but she certainly wasn't expecting to see Isabel standing at her door.

"Lieutenant, what are you doing here?" Ellie asked.  
"Ellie…"  
"It’s Agent Bishop," Ellie corrected her.  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I wanted to talk to you about Nick," Isabel said.  
"Don't worry, I won't stand in your way and I wish you good luck. Don't worry, Lieutenant, I won't take him from you," Ellie answered, wanting to close the door. She wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.  
"Please wait, Agent Bishop, at least read this and maybe you'll understand. It's really not what you think. Please, Ellie, just read and try to understand. And also I'd like to tell you that I'm not interested in Nick. Please give him a chance… and I hope you to read it. Good night," Isabel said and left. She let Ellie stand there with two letters in her hand.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh last chapter I honestly didn't even hope to finish it someday.

It was almost two hours after Isabel had left and Ellie was still sitting on her couch, staring at the two white envelopes on her desk in front of her. She still couldn't decide whether to read it or not. Nick's and Isabella's words kept ringing in her head. She didn't know if she should believe it all. She knew deep in her heart that Nick would not be able to deceive her. Nick was not the same as her ex-husband. But somehow she couldn't make herself really believe it. She had doubts about Isabel from the beginning, but maybe it was all wrong. Maybe Isabel really wasn't the enemy as she thought.

"All right, Ellie, go for it, you‘re not a coward. You need to know what you're up to," she muttered to herself in the quiet apartment. But she still couldn’t move. She repeated these words about a thousand times, but still nothing happened.

"Okay, Ellie, you're afraid to open two stupid letters, what the hell is wrong with you," she said to herself again.

"Enough ... that's enough," she shouted, getting up.

Before Isabel came, she had wanted to lie down, so she decided to try again and hoped that no one would disturb her. She left those two white envelopes on her desk, hoping she would fall asleep quickly and avoid reading them until morning.

Ellie tried to fall asleep, but she couldn't. She was still rolling in her bed. When she thought she was finally asleep properly, she looked at the alarm clock to find that it hadn't been even ten minutes since she closed her eyes.Although she didn't want to think about it, the two white envelopes still haunted her. It was as if they were calling her. She sighed in frustration and stood up, knowing that if she didn't read them, she wouldn't be able to sleep. She went to her living room and sat on the sofa and took one of the white envelopes in her hand. The one for Nick. She took a deep breath, opened it and began to read.

_Dear Nicholas,_

_I'm sorry that I have to communicate with you like this. I never had the courage to look for you and apologize for what I did to you and the whole family in person. But trust me, one day I managed to find out what you were doing and how your life went on. I know you'll never believe me, but I'm proud of you and your sister for what you've both accomplished, so I owe you this letter._

_I know you must be confused about why am I writing you, but my conscience makes me feel guilty. You and your sister need to know that you have two younger half-siblings. I know you'll never forgive me for this and I understand, but I'd like you all to meet one day. I'm leaving a letter to Oliver. He and his ... your ... your sister Isabel never knew they had siblings too. I'm not asking for forgiveness, I just want you to know about yourselves, hoping to be together one day._

_Your father._

When Ellie put it down, tears were burning in her eyes, but she didn't want to let them out. She was really so stupid for not trusting Nick. All she saw was that he could deceive her. In her heart she knew he would never do it. Nick was not her ex-husband, but her bad experience must have seeped into her relationship with Nick. A relationship she was convinced to be forever. She looked at the clock, that was showing about an hour after midnight. She put the letter down and leaned back on her couch, putting her head in her hands. The only thing she thought in this moment was that she needed to talk to someone. She knew it was 1 AM, but she needed to talk to Kasie. She sent her a message that she needed to talk to her and waited for her answer. Kasie immediately let her know that he was on her way home. Kasie showed up soon.

"Hi, Ellie, what's going on? You look awful. What happened?" she asked her as soon as she appeared at her doorstep.

"It's Nick and his girlfriend, or what the hell Isabel is," Ellie said.

"He didn't tell you? Isabel is not his girlfriend, she is his half-sister," Kasie told her.

"He said it several times. She was here too, bringing me two letters for him and Lucia. What her father left them," she pointed to two letters on her desk.

"And you still don't trust him that he told you the truth?“

"I don't know what to think. My heart tells me that he was telling the truth all the time. Nick is not like my ex-husband, he could never be."

"Come on, what are you waiting for? Go to him and tell him," Kasie urged.

"You really think that he'll listen to me, after everything I've told him and how I've treated him?" Ellie asked deperately.

"Ellie, damn it! Nick loves you, it's been clear to me for a long time. He will listen to you, I'm not afraid of it, just go to him and clarify everything or I'll do it instead."

"What do you mean?" Ellie asked.

"I have a plan for the two of you to put it all in order, and I have two very capable helpers. Which are willing and persistent enough to help you two." Kasie smiled at her.

"And who is it, please?"

"I won't say ... it's my covert operation," she smiled again.

"So what do you think I should do now?" Ellie asked.

"Leave it to me and my two warriors together, we have a plan," she smiled mysteriously.

"Ellie, I should probably go. You need to rest. Your red eyes shine all over the room and don't try to say they’re not," she added, hugging her friend and leaving.

Ellie didn't know what Kasie meant by taking care of everything, but she let it go for now and finally went to bed, not realizing that Kasie had been there for almost two hours.

Two days later, Ellie received a note from Kasie to arrive to a restaurant. She wrote her that they would have a great evening ended with an amazing meal. Ellie was looking forward to finally spending a nice evening with her friend. She hadn't seen or heard from Nick for two days and she was glad she had some time to think. But now she didn't want to be distracted. She wanted to enjoy this evening.

When Ellie entered the restaurant, the atmosphere took her aback. The whole restaurant was empty, which was quite unusual for that place. She looked around the room looking for her friend, but she couldn’t see her.

"Kasie, hey, where are you?" she called to her friend.

"I don't think she'll be here today," Ellie heard a voice from behind. The voice that was way too familiar to her.

She turned in shock and stood face to face with Nick.

"What are you doing here? Kasie was supposed to be here," Ellie said.

"Isabel invited me here and said that her and Kasie wanted to talk to me, but neither of them is here yet. I had no idea you would be here.“

"Ah, I was told by Kasie that she wanted us to have a nice evening and have a little rest," Ellie explained, why she was here.

"Look, Ellie, if you don’t want me to be here, I'll go. You should stay here with Kasie," Nick said quickly and he looked like he was about to leave.

"No, please… don't go, Nick," Ellie stopped him as he was on his way to the door.

"I really won't interfere, you want to enjoy the evening," he replied, about to leave again.

Suddenly, both of them received the same text message: _You two stubborn idiots have to work this out. Otherwise, I'll handcuff you in the interrogation room. Regards, your beloved Kasie._

"What does she mean?" Ellie asked in disbelief.

"She means that we are two idiots, Ellie. I want to apologize again. I know you won't listen to me, but on the other hand… you don't want Kasie to handcuff us in the interrogation room, do you?" Nick said.

"No, wait... I should apologize. I read both of those letters from your father. And I understand what Isabel means to you. I got more confirmations of your and Isabel's statements.“

"What? How did you get to them?" he asked.

"It was your new sister... it was Isabel who brought them to me. I'm so sorry that I didn't believe you. I guess my past hit me too hard. Can you forgive me sometime?" Ellie asked.

"I don't think there's anything to forgive, it was all just a stupid misunderstanding. Ellie, I'd like you to give Isabel a chance and try to accept her as my sister. You and Lucia understand each other, so maybe one day it‘ll be same with Isabel. She just wanted to know me better… she just lost one brother and found a new family, it wasn't easy for her.“

"I'll try," she smiled at him.

"Will it be all right again?" Nick asked.

"I'd like it to be the same as it was before, please."

"I'd love to," he smiled at her.

Nick began to lean slowly to give her a kiss, but cheers and other squeaky noises began to come from the kitchen. Ellie and Nick looked at each other in confusion and pulled away. They both went to see, what the noise was. When they reached the kitchen, they finally discovered who was responsible for that cheer. Both Kasie and Isabel stood in the room, looking completely innocent as if nothing had happened.

"You two… do you have an explanation for what just happened?" Nick asked the two women.

"NO!" was the only answer from both.

"I had to push you a little because you wouldn't just come here, so I invited you for dinner. It was all Kasie's idea. Because she knew you wouldn't come, if she invited you," Isabel explained.

"Yeah, I probably wouldn't come because she'd ask what I would do to get Ellie back. Am I not right, Kasie?" he turned to her.

Kasie just smiled at him

"You two idiots wouldn't move on your own, so I set a trap for you. Isabel helped me with everything," Kasie smiled at both of them.

"Great, my new sister dragged me into a trap... but thank you both," Nick said, hugging both women.

"So have you finally decided not to act like idiots?" Kasie asked with hope in her voice.

"Yeah, we did… I meant… I did, and it's all thanks to you, Kasie," Ellie said, hugging her.

"Our trap worked," Kasie shouted loudly.

"I have to call Lucia and tell her that our brother has finally stopped being an idiot and everything's fine again," Isabel said enthusiastically and went to call her older sister to tell her the good news.

When she returned, she smiled even more and hugged her brother.

"What did Lucia tell you?" he asked.

"She's very happy for both of you… and she even liked Kasie's idea of handcuffing you two and leaving you in the interrogation room until it's all explained."

"Everything will be fine from now on," Nick replied.

"Yes, and Isabel, I should probably apologize for all the misunderstandings," Ellie said.

"Nothing happened... there‘s nothing to forgive. I just crashed into your lives like a tidal wave. It was all unexpected." Isabel replied.

Both women were glad that their little trap worked and that Ellie and Nick were together again. The last few weeks have been very challenging for everyone, but in the end it all worked out well. From that day on, Ellie and Isabel's relationship began to improve.

After some time, they became friends. Isabel suddenly found herself to be a part of everything important in her brother's life. She felt as if she had belonged to his life from the beginning. She was the first person Nick told to that he wanted to propose Ellie. He also told her about his plan how to make the proposal.

Ellie, together with Kasie, Lucia and Isabel, wanted to choose her wedding dress. They helped Ellie with all the preparation. Little did Isabel know that thanks to the loss of her brother Oliver, she would suddenly get a new larger family. A family that has become everything to her.

The End!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who read it to the end. I hope you liked it at least a little.

**Author's Note:**

> I will be very happy for any feedback. I'm not sure about writing after a long time.


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